Children Of Mortawas originally released for PC in September of 2019. It was supposed to launch the following month for all last-gen consoles i.e. PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately that last version was delayed until late November, forcing console players to wait a little longer.
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While it would have been great to grind it up on a portable system, early adopters still had a blast with the game on PC. So, for those jumping in for the first time, these valuable tips should prove to be invaluable for the the next generation of would-be adventurers. Out in the wild, players will need to be prepared for whatever awaits them.
Updated Jun 15, 2025, by Patrick Armstrong:Children of Morta is an unusual roguelike, and the same features that set the game apart and make it fun to play can also make it an exercise in frustration at times. Whether it’s the punishing RNG or a strategy falling through, things don’t always go the player’s way. Those who know how to take advantage of the game’s unique setup and make the best use of their characters, however, are in for a fun and challenging experience.
12Local Co-op
One of the most unique qualities withChildren of Mortais that it offers co-op. From a selection of heroes, which will expand as the game goes on, players can venture by themselves, or add one friend to the mix.
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In some ways it can be easier like being able to be revived on the spot. However, the game also scales the difficulty or at least the number of monsters it throws out. We should also mention this is local multiplayer only.
11John vs Linda
The first two characters that unlock are John and Linda. John has a sword and shield and is the typical warrior of the family while Linda is a bowman and fights from a distance.
Paired together in co-op they work wonderfully together. However, if one plans to play this adventure alone, don’t go with Linda. She can easily get overwhelmed by monsters. If the time is put in she can get stronger, but as a starting tip, we advise players to start with John.
10Buffing The Family
Contrary to that point we also think it is important to play with everyone eventually. There are two big reasons. One, when characters level up skills they will enter new tier levels, which automatically grant permanent buffs for the whole family.
So leveling up everyone will then in turn help the family. The other reason to dabble is because later on family members will become sick thus reducing HP. They need to rest by having them not be played. That is why it is essential to try everyone out for backup purposes.
9Focus on Power/Health
As we mentioned earlier players acquire gold in the dungeons. This is then used at the Bergson home for two different shops. The first belongs to family smithy that can permanently raise stats for attack power, health, speed, and so on.
The other shop can be used to gain more knowledge, which will help random skills like being able to find more gold. Leveling these things up will carry across the whole family. While leveling up every stat at least once will help in the long run, we advise players to focus on power and health primarily in the early hours.
8Cool Downs, Dodge, And Run
There are three essential tips to staying alive in the dungeons. First of all get good at learning to read the cool down meters for skills. Once an ability is ready, smash that button! Secondly, learn to dodge.
John has a shield to block damage and can dodge, but his evasion is pretty slow. Most other characters are more nimble and yes, players can dodge through enemies. The last part of this trifecta is learning to know when to run away. Sometimes thinning the herd can help as not all monsters chase constantly.
7Explore Everything Before Leaving A Floor
There are a lot of things that can randomly generate when entering a dungeon besides enemies. That is to say there are a lot of events that can occur. Sometimes they lead to rewards inside the dungeon such as getting a buff for saving a caravan of merchants. On the other hand there can be situations that can lead to permanent placements at the Bergson manor.
One of the earliest we encountered was saving a wolf cub, which then became our family dog. What we are basically trying to say is leave no stone unturned.
6Save Gems
Besides gold, there are gems that can also drop. These can be found in chests, taken from slain enemies, and be rewarded for in-dungeon events. At first they can only be used to open certain chests.
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Soon into the game, if the event is found, players can rescue a merchant. He will take gems for his wares. So while it may be enticing to spend every gem on a chest, if one is doing okay health-wise, we advise saving those precious resources for the shop. He usually has some good gear.
5Smash Those Pots
Another somewhat recent roguelike that we enjoyed was Enter the Gungeon. In those dungeons were hundreds upon hundreds of pots and other breakable objects that never led to anything rewarding. Why put those in the game if they don’t contain any loot?
If one was soured by that specific experience don’t worry. The pots in this game are full of gold, potions, and other fun surprises. It’s bashing time!
4Accept RNG
Randomness is a factor in every roguelike.In some games, it plays a relatively minor role, leaving most of the control in the player’s hands despite the randomized elements. In others, however, RNG is dominant, and it’s all the player can do to scrape together a salvageable run despite the toss of the dice.
Children of Mortafalls somewhere in the middle, and it can be frustrating for an otherwise good run to be compromised by unfair RNG. Rather than fight against that fact,it’s best to focus on what the player can actually control:namely, their strategy and upgrades. Sometimes, RNG will destroy a run even if the player does everything right, so it’s not worth getting angry at oneself.
3Retrace Your Steps
Whereas some roguelikes force the player to restart from the very beginning every time they die but otherwise don’t let the player retrace their steps,Children of Mortadoesn’t actively penalize the player for returning to previous dungeons. While most of the time the player will want to be pushing forward into new content, sometimes,it pays to revisit some previous stomping grounds.
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Doing so is most useful when the player has hit a wall. This can be because the difficulty has grown to be a little too much for the moment, the player has overextended themselves, or they’ve simply grown frustrated with the higher levels. There’s no shame in returning to lower levels to work on a different character, tweak one’s strategies, collect some Morv, or simply take a break from the current setting.
